CCNB Fourball: New partners eliminate Silvas

Friday

Aug 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM

DARTMOUTH — Jeff Stickley and Dr. Phillip Rhoads met each other at Winchester Country Club in Virginia, but they picked Country Club of New Bedford to make their debut as a team and it's been quite a coming out party.

ED COLLINS

DARTMOUTH — Jeff Stickley and Dr. Phillip Rhoads met each other at Winchester Country Club in Virginia, but they picked Country Club of New Bedford to make their debut as a team and it's been quite a coming out party.

With their 3-and-2 win over Dr. Jeff Silva and Kevin Silva in Thursday's quarterfinals, Stickley and Rhoads remained in the hunt for the championship at the 84th Annual CCNB Men's Invitational Fourball.

"We were up against a good team and we had to play well to win," said Stickley, who joined CCNB last summer, lives in Dartmouth, and is the CEO of Animal Hospital Supplies. "We're having fun out there. The course is in great condition and the competition is serious."

Rhoads, who works as an optometrist, made a 4-net-3 birdie at the par-4, 459-yard fifth hole and he rolled in a 10-foot slider for a birdie at the par-4, 360-yard sixth to give the team a 2-up lead. He stayed hot with another birdie at the par-4, 384-yard eighth hole before Kevin Silva made a birdie at the par-4 ninth to cut his team's deficit to 2-down at the turn.

On the back, Rhoads made a 4-net-3 birdie at the par-4 14th to increase the team's lead to 3-up and he hit a 92-yard wedge shot to a back-pin placement at the 16th, where he rolled in a three-footer for a par that halved the hole and ended the match.

Defending champions Jason Hantman and Dr. Ron Hantman got off to a quick start, with wins at the first two holes, and played late in the match en route to notching a 2-and-1 victory over Bob Marinelli and Brian Radell in a rematch of last year's championship final.

The Hantmans made par fours to win the 329-yard 13th hole and build a 2-up lead, but Marinelli made a 5-net-4 par at the 402-yard 14th to pull his team to within 1-down.

Ron Hantman's tee shot at the uphill par-3, 133-yard 15th came up short, but he chipped up to within 10 feet of the hole and his putt for a par went in the hole even after it hit a bump and jumped into the air.

The win gave the Hantmans a 2-up advantage and the match came to a close after the teams halved the par-4, 331-yard 16th and the par-3, 199-yard 17th with pars.

Kevin Nery and Barry Higham combined to make four birdies in a row in a 3-and-2 win over the father-son team of Sean O'Connor and Brian O'Connor.

Higham made birdie threes for halves at the 13th and 14th holes and Nery made birdies at the par-3 15th and the par-4 16th that helped close out the match.

Brian O'Connor made a 4-net-3 eagle at the par-5, 518-yard fourth hole and he also made a natural birdie at the par-4 13th and net birdies at the par-4, 421-yard ninth and the par-4 14th.

Ed Winterhalter and Nick Clarke built a 2-up lead at the turn in their match against Sean Riley and David Pierce Jr. and they extended their advantage to 3-up after Clarke made a birdie at the par-4 13th.

Pierce made a 4-net-3 birdie to win the par-4 14th hole and pull his team to within 2-down, but the teams halved the 15th with par threes and Clark ended the match with a par-four win at the 16th.